On November 8th, 2011, Golden Glen Creamery of Bow, WA voluntarily recalled it’s Raw Cheddar Cheese because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

What do you need to know about this Recall?

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

This Raw Cheddar is being voluntarily recalled by Golden Glen Creamery, and was a result of a surveillance sample collected and analyzed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture that was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem. As of November 8th, 2011, no illnesses had been reported.

Approximately twenty (20) pounds of the Raw Cheddar was distributed through a very few, select retail stores in Washington State, as well as at Golden Glen’s on-farm store between September 22 and November 5 of this year. The packages range in size from ¼ to ½ pound pieces, and are random-weight cuts.

The product is vacuum packaged in clear plastic with a stick on label. The label reads in part: “Raw Cheddar,” “GOLDEN GLEN CREAMERY”and “Natural handcrafted cheese produced by the Jensen ladies.” The back of the product has a white sticker with the three-digit code “864.”

What should you do if you still have some of this product in your possession?

Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to immediately destroy the product or return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Golden Glen Creamery at 360-766-6455, from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PST, Monday through Friday, or at their website or by email at info@goldenglencreamery.com. Additional information can also be found at the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) website.